Book Choices September 2026

We are meeting on Thursday, September 24th, 8pm at The Ash Tree, Ashendon, to discuss The Names by Florence Knapp. 

Here are the book choices for our next read. 

Mrs England by Stacey Halls

'Something's not right here. In the house. With the family.'

West Yorkshire, 1904. When newly-graduated nurse Ruby May takes a position looking after the children of Charles and Lilian England, a wealthy couple from a powerful dynasty of mill owners, she hopes it will be the fresh start she needs. But as she adapts to life at the isolated Hardcastle House, it becomes clear there is something 'not quite right' about the beautiful, mysterious Mrs England.

Ostracised by the other servants and feeling increasingly uneasy, a series of strange events force Ruby to question everything she thought she knew.

Simmering with slow-burning menace, Mrs England is a portrait of an Edwardian marriage, weaving an enthralling story of men and women, power and control, courage, truth and the very darkest deception. Set against the atmospheric West Yorkshire landscape, Stacey Halls' third novel proves her one of the most exciting and compelling new storytellers of our times.

The Boy from the Sea by Garrett Carr

Set over twenty years, The Boy from the Sea is about a restless boy trying to find his place in a town caught in the storm of a rapidly changing world.

It's 1973 in a close-knit community on Ireland’s west coast; a baby is found abandoned on the beach, bringing together a community and igniting lifelong rivalries. 

Ambrose, a local fisherman more comfortable at sea than on land, brings the baby into his home out of love. Ambrose and his wife, Christine, adopt and name him Brendon and raise him together with their own son Declan. This decision will fracture the family and force Ambrose to try to understand himself and those he cares for.

Brendan will become a source of fascination and hope for a town caught in the storm of a rapidly changing world.

The Boy From the Sea is an exploration of the ties that make us and bind us, as a family and community move irresistibly towards the future.

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.

Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors - until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova. Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late. 

This debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.